ches_bay_wq.RdA multimetric indicator describing the attainment status of Chesapeake Bay with respect to three water quality standards criteria: dissolved oxygen, chlorophyll-a, and water clarity/submerged aquatic vegetation.
ches_bay_wqVar: Variable name.
Units: Units of variable Var.
Value: Value of variable Var.
EPU: Ecological Production Unit where data originated (MAB = Mid-Atlantic Bight, GB = Georges Bank, GOM = Gulf of Maine, SS = Scotian Shelf).
Time: The first year of a three year rolling attainment window. For example, 1998 represents the attainment percentage for years 1998, 1999, and 2000.
To protect the aquatic living resources of Chesapeake Bay, the Chesapeake Bay Program (CBP) partnership has developed a guidance framework of ambient water quality criteria with designated uses and assessment procedures for dissolved oxygen, chlorophyll-a, and water clarity/submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV) (USEPA, 2003) . To achieve consistent assessment over time and between jurisdictions, a multimetric indicator was proposed by the CBP partnership to provide a means for tracking the progress in all 92 management segments of Chesapeake Bay (USEPA, 2017). This indicator has been computed for each three-year assessment period since 1985-1987, providing an integrated measure of Chesapeake Bay’s water quality condition over the last three decades.
USEPA, 2003. Ambient water quality criteria for dissolved oxygen, water clarity and chlorophyll-a for the Chesapeake Bay and its tidal tributaries. USEPA Region III Chesapeake Bay Program Office EPA 903-R-03-002, Annapolis, Maryland.
USEPA, 2017. Ambient water quality criteria for dissolved oxygen, water clarity and chlorophyll-a for the Chesapeake Bay and its tidal tributaries: 2017 addendum. USEPA Region III Chesapeake Bay Program Office EPA 903-R-17-002, Annapolis, Maryland.
Zhang, Q., R. R. Murphy, R. Tian, M. K. Forsyth, E. M. Trentacoste, J. Keisman and P. J. Tango, 2018. Chesapeake Bay's water quality condition has been recovering: Insights from a multimetric indicator assessment of thirty years of tidal monitoring data. Sci. Total Environ. 637-638:1617-1625, DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.05.025.